You CAN manufacture in the US!

So many companies have moved off-shore to manufacture in China. Those that moved to Mexico in the early 90's have even made the move to China. The word manufacture nearly equals China. With all of the talk about China and the near non-existance of apparel manufacturing in the US, you would think manufacturing will never return here. The few remaining factories in the United States, owned by small companies, produce little volume.

And then a suprise in the latest Newsweek magazine (6-26-06) about American Apparel. Here is a company located in Los Angeles that employs about 3,500 people and pays them $8-$18/hour! They produce about 90,000 units a day. On top of that their sales were $250,000,000 in 2005. Yes, you can manufacture in the US!

One thing is clear - you CAN manufacture in the US!

2019 note - American Apparel has had some financial struggles. Their financial woes have been in part dealing with lawsuits from the previous CEO's behavior toward his employees. There have been other issues because American Apparel not only manufactured but retailed their own product. Thus the company had to compete with cheaper imported products at the retail level. Regardless of their struggles, apparel manufacturing is returning to the United States. Many contractors are maxed out in capacity and are not able to take on more work even though there is a demand. There is high demand for qualified pattern makers, graders, technical designers, and sewing contractors.

Making a dressform pt. 6 : More dressform pictures!

I realized I should have posted picts of what my form looks like under the dress. So here they are. At this stage I was still trying to figure out the top cap piece. All that is left is adding the tape to indicate the waistline and ankle. These pictures aren't great. In the top one, it looks like the shoulders are uneven. I think the form was still swinging when I snapped the shot. In the second, it looks like the form's legs are angled toward it's support. I think I was holding the camera at a funny angle. It does hang straight and even....

Saving Money at Outlet Stores

There is an article in the May 2006 Consumer Reports titled Outlet Stores - Where To Shop & How to Save Big Bucks. This is was an interesting article for many reasons. If you are a frequent shopper of outlet stores, you probably have suspected that some of the merchandise is not true factory seconds. More often than not, clothing is created and merchandised specifically for the outlet store. This article compares clothing from a regular store versus an outlet. You may be surprised at the quality available there (better than you might think). Even though this article does not specifically address children's clothing, an outlet store may be a great place to save money.
BTW, an outlet store is not necessarily the same as a discount store such as TJMaxx or Ross Dress for Less. Those stores are liquidators. They buy overstock, end of season, and customer returns. I suspect that those stores are selling merchandise they manufacture themselves, although I don't have proof. There are a few brands I have never seen anywhere else but those stores. In any event, you can find really great deals and good merchandise.
The general industry opinion is that placing your product into a TJMaxx may devalue the brand. I wonder how that is true when you can find high-end designer children's labels such as Ralph Lauren, Donna Karen, or Plum Pudding. I have rarely found obvious defects.
This is a very interesting article. A subscription is required to read this article on the web. They do have a free page that gives tips for outlet shopping. Check your local library for the full article.

Making a dress form pt. 5 : Finished!

When I started this project, I assumed it would be rather simple. Draft a pattern with no ease and stuff it. Instead, I had to adjust my pattern many times. Plus I had to solve problem of creating an inner structure and stand. Wow, it was a lot of work!

I am generally pleased with how my form turned out. As in all experiments there are many lessons learned. The first, the form companies are charging a fair price. I saved money in materials, but it took me a lot of time and two attempts to get my form right. Second, my form may have a short life. Not all of the materials are the most durable. I imagine I will have to do repairs in the future. Just in case I decide to do this again, I am keeping my patterns!

Earlier I had posted about Aldrich's neck-base measurement being too big. I ended up not altering my form pattern - forgetfulness on my part. I still think her measurement is still a little too big, but as you can see my dress does fit. My earlier problems were from over-stuffing. I kept tight control of the stuffing of my final form.

Someday, I will purchase a real form. For now this one works well. It matches my measurement requirements fairly close. And it does fit my dress!

Making a dress form pt. 4 : padding the form with batting

From the picture below, you can see I have made some progress. I have started to pad the papier mache form with batting. I used my original draft from my first form and modified a few seams. In this picture I am trying on the leg - it needed further adjustment, along with the front torso. I also took note on what areas needed a bit more padding. The form is suspended from the stand by a cotton yarn. I will be putting weights into the bottom of the legs to help give it more stability. Already, this version is much better than my previous one, but still not as good as the professionally made forms.